JETHAWKS UPDATE: MONTAS STABILIZES JETHAWKS INFIELD ON-FIELD SUCCESS CRUCIAL TO PLAYER.

Byline: Gideon Rubin Staff Writer

LANCASTER - Rico Montas has given the JetHawks' infield defense some stability it desperately has needed. And with the stakes even higher at home, he's hoping he can do the same for his family.

Montas, 24, who was sent to Lancaster after being acquired by the Arizona Diamondbacks in a trade with the Kansas City Royals just days before the season began, has committed just four errors in 59 games, splitting time among shortstop, third base and second base.

But his future in the Diamondbacks organization is uncertain. Montas' professional contract ends after the season - at a time when he could use some stability in his life. His wife, Abir Montas, is in the sixth month of her pregnancy.

Trying to make it to the big leagues is in itself a grueling process. Now Mondras has to also make sure he doesn't drop the ball on his child's future.

``It's been a little hard for me,'' Montas said. ``I have to save money and I have to take more responsibility. I'm not worried right now, but I know it's going to be a tough time. I'm going to have to work hard.''

JetHawks manager Scott Coolbaugh knows what Montas is going through. As a major-league player, Coolbaugh had one of the worst stretches of his career at the end of the 1993 season during his wife's pregnancy.

``It takes its toll on you,'' Coolbaugh said. ``You worry about your wife and you worry about the pregnancy, but you just have to realize that it's something that's natural, and you have to go about your business at hand.''

Montas admits this has been the hardest season of his seven-year professional career. After being traded to the Diamondbacks, he thought he had to prove himself all over again.

``When you have a baby coming, it gives you more energy to work hard so you can support your baby when the baby comes,'' Montas said. ``Right now, I'm just trying to concentrate on the game and do my best. Then after the baby's born, it'll be different.''

Montas has faced other challenges. Montas was signed by the Royals as a nondrafted free agent in 1994 at age 17. He grew up in Santo Domingo in the Dominican Republic and didn't speak English when he showed up for his first spring training.

``It was really hard for me,'' he said. ``It's hard (to adjust to) a different culture - the food - you don't know what to order when you go to a restaurant; you just say 'the same' (as your teammate just ordered). If somebody asks for a salad, and you say 'the same,' then that's what you're getting.''

He learned English by talking to teammates and coaches. Montas said his experience struggling with English is no different from what many Latin players go through.

Montas and his wife, who he met in Ft. Myers, Fla., have been married for two years. Abir Montas lives with his stepbrother about an hour drive from the Antelope Valley in Pico Rivera.

Montas' presence was missed during the team's June swoon. He was sent to Double-A El Paso (Texas) on June 5. The JetHawks lost 25 of 27 games in June. He was reassigned to Lancaster July 10.

He's also batting .273 (45 for 165) and has done the little things that help the team but don't show up in the box score such as moving runners over and making opposing pitchers go deep into counts by fouling off tough pitches.

JetHawks hitting coach Rick Schu has worked with him on adjusting his swing. Schu said he's moved his hands down the handle a bit, allowing him to stay back on the ball and have more time to recognize pitches.

It seems to have helped. In his last 13 games since July 29, Montas is batting .361 (13 for 360). He hit a three-run homer - his first of the season - on Aug. 6 in a 9-4 victory over Visalia. Montas said the work he'd done with Schu has helped him become a more patient hitter and has taught him to concentrate on hitting to the opposite field.

As the season winds down, Montas is counting on a strong finish to show the Diamondbacks organization, with whom he hopes to re-sign after the season, that his potential to play in the big leagues is worth their wait.

``That's more stuff I have to think about,'' he said, ``but you know, you just have to live right now. You can't think about tomorrow. It's a little bit hard because I worry a lot if I'm going to get a job next year, but now I just have forget about that stuff, play my best and whatever happens is going to happen.''

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RICO MONTAS

JetHawks infielder has been a solid presence and now faces new challenge with impending birth of his first son.